85% Of Sex Workers Oppose New Criminalisation Bill

85% of sex workers in Northern Ireland believe that new laws to criminalise the sale of sex would not reduce sex trafficking.

The figure comes from a new survey released by Queen's University Belfast, commissioned by the Department of Justice, which marks the first time people involved in selling and buying sexual services have been directly approached in relation to prostitution policy in Northern Ireland.

It comes ahead of a Human Trafficking and Exploitation Bill being addressed by the Assembly next month.

Only 2% of sex workers who responded to the survey supported criminalising the purchase of sex, while 61% of NI-based sex workers thought it would make them less safe.

Only 16% of respondents to the client survey said it would make them stop paying for sex altogether.

Justice Minister David Ford said: "Next week the Assembly will consider Lord Morrow’s Human Trafficking and Exploitation Bill. Lord Morrow and I share a determination to do all we can to address the misery of human trafficking and modern day slavery, and we have worked closely to agree on almost all of the Bill’s provisions. However, we differ over Clause 6 of the Bill, which, if adopted, will change the existing law from criminalising the purchase of sex from a prostitute subjected to force, to criminalising the purchase of sexual services in any circumstances.

"My position is that I don’t believe that the complexities of prostitution can be adequately addressed in a single clause in a Bill. Instead, the law and policy surrounding the distinct issue of selling or purchasing sexual services should be considered separately, in detail, and with the benefit of properly informed research."

He continued: "I have...seen no evidence to suggest that the change proposed by Lord Morrow would reduce the incidence of trafficking. Indeed the report contains evidence to suggest that criminalising the purchase of sex, as a single clause in this Bill, may create further risk and hardship for those individuals, particularly women, involved in prostitution."

(IT/MH)